Air cushioned heel



0a. 24, 1933; c. STEVE-56 3 AIR CUSHIONED HEEL Filed April 26, 1933 Patented Oct. 24, 1933 TED STATES PATENT i-iCE Application April 26, 1933.

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an air cushion heel and has for an object to provide an improved air cushion rubber heel for use on the shoes of men, women or children.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved rubber or resilient heel that gains resiliency not only from the material of which it is made but in addition has a tendency to catch and compress an air cushion to allow it to yieldably support the foot.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved air cushion resilient heel which may be attached to any shoe in the usual con ventional manner and when so attached provides additional resiliency during the process of walking, thus making it less tiring to walk or stand on this improved heel.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a cushioned heel which will further include an additional composition tending to provide additional resiliency over that of the normal composition of the heel.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide a rubber heel which includes sponge rubber in its composition as well as the usual type of rubber used in rubber heels wherein the sponge rubber acts to provide still additional resiliency over that provided not only by the normal rubber used by the heel but by the compressed air entrapped during operation of the heel.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will hereinafter become apparent, this invention comprises the constructions, combinations, and arrangements of parts, hereinafter set forth, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing:

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the air cushion heel;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the air cushion heel;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional View of the heel applied to the shoe.

There is shown at the improved rubber heel constituting this invention. This heel 10 comprises the usual rubber composition normally used in rubber heels and includes a rim 11 provided with a plurality of nail holes 12 which may be bevelled as at 13 to receive the nails 14 which pass through the rim 11 to the leather heel 15 of the shoe 16. A. tongue 17 is separated from the rim 11 by a slit 18 extending around the opposite side of the rear of the heel 10. This tongue 17 is fixed to the front 19 of the heel 10 by an integral connecting section but the Serial No. 668,220

hinging section is partly slitted through as at 20 allowing the tongue 17 to more easily hinge away therefrom under its own weight. The inner side of the tongue 1'7 is cut away as at 21 and its recessed portion is filled with rubber 22 of a, difierent composition than the composition of the body of the heel 10. This rubber composition may be sponge rubber or any other type of rubber which is more easily compressible than the body rubber.

In operation the heel 10 is secured to the leather 15 by means of the nails 14 along the rim 11 in the usual manner. The tongue 1'? is left unsecured. In walking the weight of the tongue 17 hinging to the front 19 tends to fall to the broken line position shown in Figure 3 and as the weight of the user is placed on the heel the tongue re-enters the space within the rim ll compressing the air therein as it escapes through the slit 18 thereby providing increased resiliency for the heel and causing the user in effect to walk on air.

It is to be understood from the forms of this invention herewith shown and described that they are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangements of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A cushioned heel comprising a heel block of the usual shape provided with a recess on its upper base and the lower portion of the said recess closed by a tongue like member of substantially similar material to the heel block and united to the heel block at its front edge portion and separated from the heel block by a slit at its opposite sides and rear portion, a filling of rubber of a different composition than the heel block in said recess, said tongue hinging about its uniting section to entrap air therebeneath during operation.

2. A cushioned heel comprising a heel block of the usual shape provided with a recess on its upper base and the lower portion of the said recess closed by a tongue like member of substantially similar material to the heel block and united to the heel block at its front edge portion and separated from the heel block by a slit at its opposite sides and rear portion, a filling of.

rubber of a different composition than the heel' block in said recess, said tongue hinging about its uniting section to entrap air therebeneath during operation, said filling of rubber consisting of sponge rubber.

and separated from the heel block by a slit at its opposite sides and rear portion, said tongue hinging about its uniting section to entrap air therebeneath during operation.

CHARLES STEVENSON. 

